Wind River, Sun Will Jointly Develop Software For Automotive Telematics Market

Autoparts Report, Nov 3, 2001

Wind River Systems, Inc. and Sun Microsystems, Inc. said that the two companies are collaborating to jointly develop and market a complete end-to-end embedded development solution for Java technology-based automotive telematics applications. This alliance targets in-car information, navigation, safety and entertainment systems, as well as the infrastructure required to deliver and administer these services, the companies said.

Through the agreement, Wind River's Tornado for Car Infotainment development platform will be integrated with Sun's Java technology, giving automotive manufacturers a complete solution for delivering telematics content and services over a wireless network to mobile vehicles, the companies said. Automotive telematic devices combine wireless voice and data communication systems in order to enhance driver safety and provide information including automatic airbag deployment notification, vehicle tracking, personalized information, real-time traffic data, roadside assistance, and entertainment from a central service center.

Growth of telematics-enabled cars and light trucks in use in the United States is expected to increase from 1.1 million in 2000 to over 20.5 million by 2006 (Telematics Research Group).

"Java technology is in a unique position to support dynamic delivery of applications, content, and services to multiple telematics platforms, something we view as fundamental to telematics application development," said Aisling MacRunnels, director of marketing, Consumer and Embedded, Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Sun said it believes that next generation telematics platforms should be non-proprietary and based on certified Java platforms providing original equipment manufacturers, vehicle service providers and tier-1 suppliers with multiple vendors to source both product and technology. This open in-vehicle and back-end end-to-end solution would lead to faster time to market and lower costs in the delivery of safety/security, diagnostics, entertainment and location-based services to consumers, Sun said.